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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · can · face · tube · stem · shower · content · fork

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. can — a tin
  4. shower — rain
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. content — the amount
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — the underground
  9. race — humankind
  10. tube — a container
  11. stem — to come from
  12. can — to be able to
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. fork — in a road
  15. shower — to wash
  16. race — a contest
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. face — part of the head
  20. race — the arms race
  21. content — happy
  22. face — to confront
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com